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On Friday 18 July 2008, Pope Benedict met with and addressed the representatives of the non-Christian  religions present in Australia. Dear Friends, I extend cordial greetings of peace and goodwill to all of you who are here representing various religious traditions in Australia. Grateful for this encounter, I thank Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence and Sheikh Shardy for the words of welcome which they expressed in their own name and on behalf of your respective communities.Australia is renowned for the congeniality of its people towards neighbour and visitor alike. It is a nation that holds freedom of religion in high regard. Your...

WASHINGTON — President Bush has authorized the most significant American diplomatic contact with Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, sending the State Department’s third-ranking official to Geneva for a meeting this weekend on Iran’s nuclear program, administration officials said Tuesday.

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Last Thursday, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama held a private meeting in the living room of Sen. Dianne Feinstein. No one knows what was said. No aides were present. Even Sen. Feinstein didn’t sit in on the meeting. She was upstairs working. Fortunately for the sake of the nation and of posterity, our listening devices were there: Obama: Hillary, it’s really good of you to ask for this meeting. We had a hard-fought and spirited contest, but it wasn’t personal and there are no hard feelings, right? Clinton: Who said I asked for the meeting? It was you.

Representing Michigan, state Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer suggested that Obama get nearly half of the state's delegates -- even though his name wasn't on the ballot. This started the bickering all over again. "This committee cannot use the results of such a flawed primary to assign delegates," said Obama representative David Bonior to a blend of cheers, boos and hisses. "Throwing the insult, if you will, at the Michigan primary that it was flawed," committee member Donald Fowler said, "is not appropriate." Only Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan had an irrefutable point. "We've got a totally irrational system of nominating...

Astrologers to predict next president at meetingAssociated Press Sunday, May 18, 2008 DENVER --Picking a winner of the presidential contest is front and center at what's being billed as the largest astrologers' convention in years. More than 1,500 astrologers from 45 countries have descended on Denver, site of the Democratic National Convention in August, for the "United Astrology Conference: Rockin' the Universe." The gathering concludes Tuesday with a panel predicting a presidential winner in November. Key to those picks: Astrological charts for John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And integral to those charts: The candidates' exact birth times. A...

Last week's story about the uncertainties endured by people who live in or near the route of the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor prompted many messages of support. But I wish there had been room in the story to quote Steve Huber, a University of Houston law professor who spoke at a January meeting in Bellville on the project. Huber opposed the corridor plan without taking the position — adopted, for instance, by U.S. Rep. John Culberson toward rail on Richmond — that the people most directly affected deserve the most consideration when a route is chosen. "My position carefully avoided the sort...

Grassroots activism is essential for any organization’s effectiveness in the political world. It is the winning art of taking the issues and campaigns back to the individuals, helping them to realize the power they can possess in public policy. Make a difference in your community Whether you or your organization is trying to get an issue to the forefront or gain attention in your community, the Grassroots Activist School will make you more effective. Best of all, this amazing training comes right to you. The Leadership Institute proudly provides top-notch activist training right in your community from some of the...

WASHINGTON - A former Paxson Communications president said Saturday he never met with John McCain about the Arizona senator writing letters to the Federal Communications Commission regarding the regulatory delay of a Pittsburgh TV station sale. Dean Goodman, who was in charge of the company's lobbying efforts in 1999, told The Associated Press he also doubts that chief executive Lowell W. "Bud" Paxson met with McCain over the issue, and said he doesn't recall such a meeting. McCain's presidential campaign said the Arizona senator and then-chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist, Vicki...

“We could've talked for another hour. People were really getting into it,� said Reuben Grassl, who organized a Feb. 14 community meeting in Shiro to discuss the proposed I-69 corridor route through Grimes County. The meeting was led by Grassl, Charles Wendt, and Edna Keasling and was attended by a cross section of 65 people from as far as Madisonville and Iola, who showed up with both questions and suggestions for opposition plans. “We gave them the latest information we received from the four recent meetings in the area, because a lot of information TxDoT and TTC put out would...

By BILL POOVEY, Associated Press Writer Wed Oct 3, 3:15 AM ET CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - In an unlikely marriage of desire to secede from the United States, two advocacy groups from opposite political traditions — New England and the South — are sitting down to talk. ADVERTISEMENT Tired of foreign wars and what they consider right-wing courts, the Middlebury Institute wants liberal states like Vermont to be able to secede peacefully. That sounds just fine to the League of the South, a conservative group that refuses to give up on Southern independence. "We believe that an independent South, or Hawaii,...

SINGAPORE (AFP) - More than 600 business executives and experts began meeting in Singapore on Thursday to discuss how the corporate world can help tackle the threat of climate change. The two-day Global Business Summit for the Environment is the first major international conference focusing on business and the environment in Asia, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP organised the event with the United Nations Global Compact, an initiative that brings companies together with UN and other agencies to support environmental and social principles. The meeting comes two days after the UN Security Council held a groundbreaking debate...

BAGHDAD - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday fired two senior members of his movement after they met with the top U.S. military officer in Iraq, a lawmaker close to the anti-American cleric said. Salam al-Maliki and Qusai Abdul-Wahab, members of parliament in al-Sadr's bloc, were having dinner at the home of former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari on Monday when Gen. David Petraeus, arrived, the legislator said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Al-Maliki and Abdul-Wahab did not leave the room when Petraeus walked in, he said. Al-Sadr has decreed that lawmakers from his...

Pelosi meets with Syrian President Assad By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) met Syrian President Bashar Assad Wednesday for talks criticized by the White House as undermining American efforts to isolate the hard-line Arab country. The California Democrat and accompanying members of Congress began their day by holding separate talks with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa and then met Assad, who hosted them for lunch after their talks. Pelosi's visit to Syria was the latest challenge to the White House by congressional Democrats, who...

Marine General Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is on the road meating with school children, citizens, and public affairs officials as well as military leaders and servicemembers. Stories at link.

Global warming dissenters few at U.S. weather meeting Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:30 PM GMT By Ed Stoddard SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Joe D'Aleo was a rare voice of dissent this week at the American Meteorological Society's annual meeting in San Antonio. D'Aleo, executive director of the International Climate and Environmental Change Assessment Project, a group of scientists, doesn't think greenhouse gas emissions are the major cause of global warming and climate change. Researchers who hold such contrary views do not appreciate being lumped together with flat-Earthers. They are legitimate scientists who question the mainstream, but they are a distinct...

Ministers of oil cartel OPEC are considering an emergency meeting to address the rapid decline in oil prices, according to a report Thursday. A senior OPEC official said that it may ask other major oil producers outside the cartel to trim output in an attempt to bolster prices, said the Wall Street Journal on its Web site. Russian oil supplies may begin to flow to Europe again, via Belarus. OPEC has already said it would cut 1.7 million barrels a day from production. OPEC leaders rejected calling emergency meetings earlier this year when oil markets declined sharply. The cartel's ministers...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2006 -- His recent trip to the Middle East reaffirmed his conviction to help the unity government in Baghdad find a political solution to the situation in Iraq, President Bush said here yesterday. During his weekly radio address, Bush said the success of the unity government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is crucial to the success of democracy in the region. He said he is impressed with the Iraqi leader’s desire to make the difficult choices that will put his country on a better path. Bush said he told Maliki that the United States “is...

US President George W. Bush will discuss Iraq's volatile security situation with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Jordan next week as pressure builds to change its strategy in the war-torn country. The White House announcement late Tuesday of the November 29-30 meeting in Amman came as Bush faces calls to begin a phased withdrawal of US troops and engage Syria and Iran on Iraq. Bush and Maliki said in a joint statement that they will review a panel's discussions on the transfer of security from US troops to Iraqi forces as well as the role of Iraq's neighbors. "We...

Man refused to remove hat, struggled with police Saginaw's City Council meeting featured a shocking incident Monday night. A Saginaw Valley State University student was TASERed after he became unruly after being asked to take off his baseball cap. There is a new rule at Saginaw City Council meetings. Men are required to take their hats off. Evidently, they are pretty serious about this new rule. The man was wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers hat. Officer Doug Stacer of the Saginaw Police Department asked him to remove the hat. The man raised his voice and did not remove the hat....

Keep Arkansas Legal, a new immigration reform group in the Central Arkansas area, will meet at the Roosevelt Thompson Libray from 3:00pm-6:00pm Saturday October 7th (Terry Library was booked). We will discuss what to do for the election and the upcoming legistlative session. We will then have a general discussion about illegal immigration. address: Roosevelt Thompson Library 38 Rahling Circle Little Rock, AR 72223 You can go to this link and type the address for a map http://maps.yahoo.com/" We also have a volunteer opportunity. The Lagrone campaign has given a neighborhood in Chenal called The Village to do door to...

NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nev., Aug. 28, 2006 -- The U.S. military is capable not only of winning the war on terror, but also of fulfilling its other commitments around the world and dealing with unforeseen circumstances, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a group of sailors and Marines here today. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld takes a picture with a sailor at the conclusion of a town hall meeting at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., Aug. 28. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It would be unfortunate if other countries thought...

8/17/2006 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- The Air Force is on track to make its recruiting goal this year, marking the seventh consecutive year the service has brought in the right number and mix of new Airmen. To date, 25,645 people have enlisted in the Air Force and entered active duty in fiscal 2006. That puts the Air Force on pace to send 30,750 men and women to basic training and technical schools to fill jobs in more than 150 areas. In response to the Air Force's force shaping, fiscal 2007 recruiting goals have been reduced by...

The state board that oversees flood control in the Central Valley plans to meet in a closed session Friday to discuss whether it violated an open meetings law. The California Reclamation Board has been criticized for approving a permit for 11,000 luxury homes near Lathrop even though the board's attorney warned that the action was illegal because the project wasn't on the agenda for that April 21 meeting. The Natural Resources Defense Council has asked the board to rescind that vote and reconsider the matter after giving proper public notice. The board says the NRDC petition amounts to "pending litigation"...

A COTERIE of conspiracy theorists is in town to cover the top secret meeting of the western world's elite -- believed to be coming to a Kanata hotel tomorrow and ending with the full moon on Sunday. As is usual with Bilderberg venues around the world, staff at the Brookstreet Hotel won't confirm or deny reports the shadowy and powerful group will be there tomorrow. Jim Tucker of the populist American Free Press insists everyone from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Henry Kissinger and David Rockefeller will be there. The Washington, D.C.-based Tucker and his fellow Bilderberg-watchers will be hunting...

Last night the Arkansas Republican Assemblies met at the Terry Library. Thursday May 18th at 6:30pm. The meeting was a discussion on what to do about immigration in Arkansas. Several issues and candidates for the May 23rd primary were talked about. Several pieces of information were passed out. The idea of a ballot initiative similar to Prop 200 of Arizona, talked about but it appears that a proposition like that could not be funded in time for the 2006 elections. Most of the group plans to conservative candidates for the May 23rd primary and hand out literature about illegal immigration....

PM willing to meet Abbas During talks with French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy, for the first time PM Olmert says he would like to meet with Palestinian chairman – but conditional on Abbas’ fight against terrorism Ronny Sofer A Change in position: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is willing to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, he told French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy when the two met in Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon. With that, Olmert conditioned the meeting on Abbas fighting terror emanating from the Palestinian Authority and targeting Israel. “Abbas needs to start to work to fulfill the commitments the Palestinians...

The state Legislature's legal adviser says the University of California regents have violated state open-meeting laws by voting behind closed doors on executive pay packages. In a 12-page opinion, the Office of Legislative Counsel wrote that the state Education Code requires regents' committees to meet in public whenever they take action on compensation proposals involving the president, chancellors and certain other top executives. The regents have held at least a dozen such meetings in private during the past five years, UC records show. --snip-- "It is our opinion that a standing committee of the Board of Regents of the University...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - President Jalal Talabani met with representatives of seven armed groups and is optimistic they may agree to lay down their weapons, his office said Sunday. It was the first time a senior Iraqi official has acknowledged talks with insurgents. However, Talabani did not identify the groups or specify when and where the meeting took place. The spokesman of one major insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, said his organization had not taken part in such a meeting. Last year Talabani offered to talk with insurgents but it was unclear if any took up the offer. U.S....

US President George W. Bush (R) pats Han-Mi Kim of North Korea on the knee at the White House in Washington. Bush called North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's regime "heartless," after an emotional meeting with families of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents(AFP/Mandel Ngan)

Bush Meets N.Korean Defectors, Activists Sakie Yokota, mother of Japanese kidnap victim Megumi Yokota, testifies on Capitol Hill on Thursday before a House committee as Koh Myung Sup, a South Korean abductee listens at right. Holding up photos of her daughter is her son Takuya Yokota. /AP-Yonhap U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday morning met with North Korean refugees including seven-year-old Kim Han-mi and his family, who defected from North Korea in 2002, and Chung Seong-san, the artistic director of the hit musical “Yoduk Story” about a North Korean concentration camp. The hour-long meeting at the Oval Office...

The Heart of Texas Chapter of FreeRepublic.com is looking to have a meeting this month. Saturday Evening, April 22nd or Sunday, 23rd look like the most promising times. The location is a bit more up in the air.Possibilities include: Walburg(north of Georgetown - Exit 268) Saltlick(SW of Austin in Driftwood) Lockhart BBQ(20-30 miles SE of Austin) Elgin Sausage/BBQ(East of Austin) Spaghetti Warehouse(downtown Austin) Ironworks(downtown Austin?) Texas Roadhouse(I35 south of Austin/Slaughter) (Insert you idea here) Anyway, instead of me forcing a decision on everybody, I thought that I would open it up to local FReepers for their input on time and...

POLITICAL directors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany will meet in Moscow next Wednesday to discuss the Iranian nuclear crisis, China's UN envoy said today. Wang Guangya said he had been told by Beijing that the meeting would bring together senior officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in the Russian capital.

Citizens for Immigration Reform is asking for people to take part as local chapters visit the nearest office of their US Senators on Monday to discuss the immigration issue. Here's the e-mailed Anouncement: "Dear Friends, We need your help. We have to do more to stop the amnesty and guest worker. The Senate is debating these bills this week and next. It may even last a third week but we can't be certain. So here is the plan. Next Monday all Americans who want an enforcement only bill to pass the Senate, as it did in the House, you need...

CANCUN, Mexico - President Bush, closing a three-nation summit Friday, defended requiring secure documents from border-crossing Canadians and pushed Mexico to prevent more of its people from illegally entering America Despite obvious divisions, Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper emphasized North American unity and the productivity of their two days of meetings in this sunny spring-break area along Mexico's Mayan Riviera. From a luxury hotel's indoor tennis court, gussied up with carpet, custom podiums and large video screens, the men emerged from joint sessions to laud the increased trade brought about by the 12-year-old tariff-reducing...

If you want to be among the first in San Diego to find out how much money the city must pay into its sagging pension system – and as a result the likelihood of service cuts and layoffs – show up early today. The pension board's meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. on the fourth floor of 401 B St., and a crowd is expected. “To think you have to get to the pension board meetings early, it just goes to show what a circus the city has become,” said Joan Raymond, president of the American Federation of State, County and...

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2006 – The new Iraqi parliament is scheduled to convene March 16 for the first time since its members were chosen in the Dec. 15 nationwide election, a senior Defense Department official said here today. The inaugural meeting of the new parliament, or general assembly, "would be another step forward in seating the government," DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters. Having the Iraqi people gain confidence that their political process is moving forward "is vital to the security environment, too," Whitman said. Whitman said the security situation in Iraq appears to be improving since sectarian violence...

A national inspector for Mexico's National Human Rights Commission cancelled a Tucson talk after opponents of illegal immigration demanded either a translator or that he discuss his topic in English. Mauricio Farah walked out of a packed room Friday at the University Services Annex after some people objected to the scheduled topic, "Migration, Shared Responsibility," being delivered in Spanish only. When the demands went unmet, the group became disruptive, accusing Farah and other Mexican officials of being disrespectful for speaking Spanish at a public meeting. The session then escalated into a war of words between those who wanted Farah to...

For Immediate ReleaseFebruary 25, 2006 President's Radio Address      Audio      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Sunday and Monday, I will meet with America's governors during their annual gathering in Washington, D.C. As a former governor, I appreciate the work of these fine public servants. I look forward to talking with them about the challenges and opportunities facing their states and our nation and discussing how leaders of both parties can work together to solve problems for our citizens. One of the most important issues we will discuss is how to improve health care for the American people, and we have...

Washington, D.C. 'Out of Iraq' Town Hall Meeting This Saturday Thu Jan 5, 11:07 AM ET To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Karen Bradley, 202-669-3927; or Christine Yorty, 703-447-6726 News Advisory: WHO: -- David Swanson, moderator, co-founder, After Downing Street -- Allan J. Lichtman, history professor, American University -- Lila Rajiva, author of Abu Ghraib and the Media, The Language of Empire -- Cliff Kindy, Christian Peacemaker Teams -- Kevin Zeese, peace activist, Democracy Rising -- D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (invited) WHAT: Out of Iraq Town Meeting WHEN: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 7 WHERE: Washington, D.C....

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Israel FM and Palestinian leader have unexpected meeting in Tunisia By: Associated Press Published: November 16, 2005 Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas held unexpected talks Wednesday in Tunisia, the highest-level Israeli-Palestinian talks since June. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes and was also attended by the president of Mauritania, said Shalom aide Lior Ben-Dor. The Abbas-Shalom meeting came a day after Israelis and Palestinians, with a strong push from the U.S. reached an elusive agreement on Gaza border crossings, a step forward after months of deadlock. Abbas said he was pleased with the agreement...

Yesteday the Democrats took the unusual move of calling for a private session of the senate to discuss the intelligence presented in the weeks before the war in Iraq. Bill Frist threw some mud, "The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership," but didn't address the issue-that to the best of our ability, we knew Saddam was working on WMD's but we didn't have absolute specifics. A committee of Dems and Republicans has been working on a follow up to the 2004 report which chronicled our intelligence efforts going back years. The second part of that report...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and visiting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insisted US-Italy ties were strong, brushing aside tensions on a range of issues including the war in Iraq. The meeting came after Berlusconi said in a forthcoming television interview that he had repeatedly tried to dissuade Bush from going to war to oust Saddam Hussein and that "it would have been better to avoid military action." At the White House, however, Berlusconi made no mention of such misgivings and instead took pains to praise his host as they met in the Oval Office, saying: "I...

I just finished reading another amazing novel by Dean Koontz, "Cold Fire". The afterword ... is hilarious: "Then, as is often the case when life is good, someone said, 'Hey, let's make a movie!' and life got strange, dark, and scary. "By this I do not mean to imply - although I can't stop you from inferring - that a lot of movie-industry executives are as brainless, voracious, and destructive as the flesh-eating bacteria ... I've met smart, fair, creative executives over the years...although I've noticed their kind either eventually get fired," (NOTE TO SELF: KELLY GOODE!!!) ... He goes...

Meeting raises possibility that Nagin may have political future 10/30/2005, 9:58 a.m. CT By KEVIN McGILL The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — There were fewer than 300 seats and more than 500 people jammed into the hotel for a town hall meeting. It was overcrowded and under-air conditioned (nothing new in post-Katrina New Orleans), dozens of unhappy people lined up behind a single microphone and the scene appeared set for an ugly political inquisition as Mayor Ray Nagin entered the room — 30 minutes late. Nagin made an opening statement on housing, then turned it over to the audience....

TALL AFAR, Iraq, Oct. 11, 2005 — Coalition commanders and 14 headmasters of area schools met Oct. 6 to discuss and coordinate the clean-up, repair and opening of schools here. "As you look around this room, you can see that whether you are Sunni, Shiite, Turkmen or Kurd, you all agree on your children, your future," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christopher Gibson, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. "We hope we can leave those schools as soon as possible but we do not want to do so too early and allow the criminals...

WASHINGTON, DC. (Army News Service, Oct. 5, 2005) – Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker delivered the keynote address Tuesday at the Association of the United States Army’s luncheon at the Washington Convention Center. The chief told the full house, the war on terror would not be a short one. “It will be a long war because of the insidious nature of the threat,” Schoomaker said. “It is not clear many grasp the scope of what we have done.” Chief cites accomplishments He went on to cite some of the Army’s major accomplishments in the four-year old conflict. “For...

MEXICALI – The whole menu of hot-button California immigration issues intruded yesterday on a long-awaited meeting between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Baja California counterpart. Schwarzenegger and Baja California Gov. Eugenio Elorduy discussed cross-border cooperation on transportation, trade, education, environmental issues and immigration during a two-hour private meeting in the state government headquarters here. The two issued a joint statement with immigration couched in delicate diplomatic language: "Undocumented immigration is perhaps one of the most challenging and controversial issues that we face, but that does not mean that workable solutions cannot be found. Our dialogue with respect to this issue...

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, SC (Sept. 2, 2005) -- Three Native American representatives from three different tribes visited Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Aug. 25-26. Richard Allen of the Cherokee Nation, Emman Spain of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and Tim Thompson of the Muscogee Creek Nation, visited the Lowcountry for a meeting with the Natural Resources Environmental Office and also took a tour of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122. Every year Native Americans who have interest in the Air Station’s land visit Fightertown to review projects and agendas, according to John Luce, the natural and cultural resources manager...